


Twisted Idol

by FeliciaBelle



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: BEING REWRITTEN BECAUSE I AM A GOD DANG SIMP WHO CAN'T WRITE, Evolving Tags as we go along, Idol AU, Other, Polyamory, This was sparked by a RP and me listening to my playlist, We're back in business the first chapter is cleaned up now, no beta we die like robins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25114012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeliciaBelle/pseuds/FeliciaBelle
Summary: Akihiko just wanted to enjoy the Idol scene from the shadows, Fate had other plans when he made a mistake he never thought would make a difference. Thrust into the Idol World, he makes friends and enemies along the way and kickstarts a new future he didn't even know existed.
Relationships: none as of now
Comments: 16
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is why I can't be left alone bored. 
> 
> So few things: This will be a musical fic, so you're going to be seeing a LOT of my playlist here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! A chapter with a much nicer flow! 
> 
> [Time to do that for the others]

“Have you heard the news? Pomefiore recently won recognition for Best Costumes in the idol community!”

Those words had caught his attention; Akihiko Ayumu lifted his head slightly, despite his appearance, he was actually into the idol scene; messy blonde hair (with some specks of blue from temporary dye), golden eyes behind his thin-framed glasses and dressed in his school uniform. Nothing about him screamed ‘Idol fanboy’ and that’s actually what he wanted the world to believe; he wanted others to believe that he was just a studious person with high marks and a solid future in his grasps – heck, he was looking at the industries he wanted to apprentice for; fashion, photography, and theater. He was confident in those fields; he grew up taking voice lessons and acting, he took up designing and made his first scarf earlier in his high school year, and he was just taking up photography. Akihiko kept up with those so he could have a future in the entertainment industry.

Akihiko Ayumu admired the entertainment industry – well, minus the darker stories of when a celebrity gets far too deep down the rabbit hole. But the fact that they can just put on another face and create a new identity while having a ‘secret life’ behind the scenes was what caught his attention. He would never put someone like Riddle on a pedestal, the lead Heartslbayul singer had his own life outside the idol scene and was one that was to be respected. Only a few times did Akihiko ever sent fan mail; it was mostly him saying ‘Hi, I enjoyed your show, hope you have a good day and take care.’ Just short and to the point. Like the idols, he had his own secondary life; Double A and Wonderland Songs. Wonderland Songs was where he would perform covers while dressed in costumes geared towards each Idol group and like everything, it just started as a hobby but then the continuous comments on where they could get the same attire happened and it caused the domino effect; he was running his own costume line Double A Costumes. Double A Costumes was where fans could request apparel or accessories based off the idol groups and to flaunt them at the next concert; his prices were always reasonable and he was always coming up with something new – after all, his father was a doll maker so it wouldn’t be hard to talk costume ideas with him.

Which brought him back to the now with Pomefiore’s award for Best Costume at this month’s Best Dressed to Impress contest; Pomefiore was one of the ‘Great Seven’ and while they do value their looks, it was always through a natural process; the lead singer would make sure his boys were on a daily exercise regiment, a healthy diet (guilty pleasures were accepted in small dosages, just so long as one wasn’t overindulging on it). Despite their Queen Bee appearance, they actually cared about the well-being of others; in an interview when asked how they look so amazing in their photoshoots, Vil had said ‘proper skin care is the main one; you can find a recipe on natural face masks online if you want to make your own’. The slender build had Epel saying that he would do parkour on his free time, and Rook simply hunted during the season. Everything was natural and something anyone would be able to do. 

And it wasn’t just Pomefiore that solidified their status with such; the others had something similar to their own group. Heartslabyul was about hard work and dedication; didn’t matter what your goal in life was, always work to it, yes it would be a long hurdle but the reward was always worth it. Savanaclaw was about letting the wild spirit free (within reasons of course) and to seize any opportunity given to you at first chance. Octavinelle was almost similar to Heartslabyul except they were more on the cautious side; always read the fine-print and if something sounded too good to be true, it usually was. Scarabia was about finding a light in darkest times and to sing and dance worries away; it was actually this duo that was behind the Scarab Support Group and would answer emails in a video where they’d give advice to the best of their abilities, they were probably the runner-up in selfcare right up there with Pomefiore. Ignihyde was about looking forward to the future and that sometimes the shadows are ideal to lurk around in – you get a better perspective on things. Finally, Diasomnia was about embracing the unknown; doesn’t matter who or what lurked past the known world, embrace it and live through it.

Taking in every bit of advice brought Akihiko where he was right now; Wonderland Songs and Double A costumes were a successful hit and were popular with fans and sometimes even the idols themselves; there was a cover of Diasomnia’s My Nocturnal Serenade that had gained the attention of Malleus Draconia, he gave a like and said he was impressed with how much work was put into it, that actually made Akihiko’s night a lot better, he was hardly asleep after that. Both successful names of his were his life in the shadows, and he was fine with that; he wanted to live normal as possible as an idol fan by night and a studious high school student by day. Naturally, even though he lived in the shadows; he was bound to make a slip-up somewhere down the line. Double A costumes weren’t just popular with the fans, but also with the idols themselves; they were the ones who would commission him for the latest costume set when they were performing and he would always deliver…discreetly and pay with cash whenever he mailed them out at the post office. It was thanks to Double A costumes that brought Pomefiore at the top for ‘Best Costumes’. 

Akihiko shook his head and continued onto class; he had his daytime life to uphold after all. Classes were as dull as ever, and he would listen in on his classmates’ desires for Double A costumes, he wasn’t one to bite off more than he could chew; but seeing the ecstatic reactions from his peers when they got the email saying that he would take their request was what made his days a lot better. That and talking to his online friend who admired his work from afar; Underworld_Spawn_666; it wasn’t really much, but they actually just met in a campaign for Soul Calibur (Akihiko was playing as his main Amy and they were playing as Astaroth). Sometime after exchanging emails, they would talk and plan out the next battle and what gear to update their mains with, one thing led to another and he would be meeting with them at a local café later that day. Another reason why he wasn’t going to worry about Pomefiore’s attention when the fashion world gushed about their beautiful costumes from their last show with their hit Art of Poisoning – they were dressed in a black jacket with black feathers fanning out, they wore an orange vest with black feathers along the neckline and a black shirt under the vest, the face paint they had gave them the bird feeling; their belts had little glass vials that doubled as props when they would sing about poisoning unsuspecting victims. They were beautiful Pitohuis and the gliding on the stage brought the toxic birds to life and on full colorful display for their adoring fans.

Pomefiore was beauty and grace, and now they were going to sit on the backburner. Akihiko had the now to focus on, and listening in on gossip wasn’t going to help in the slightest.

*****

Vil was a patient person, he had to be when it came to maintaining looks and dance as well as being in charge of not just himself but for two others. Rook was his assistant and both were in charge of the wellbeing of their team, everything took patience to achieve. However, even the most patient person had their limits; upon closer look, Double A Costumes and Wonderland Songs were the same individual and his talent was being hidden away by themselves, this wouldn’t do at all. That voice. Those costumes. _Everything_ should be out in the spotlight where they belong; but every time they try emailing who they were and even tried tricking them into showing their face, but he was just one step ahead.

“We should try the costumes for a fitting” was met with “I’ll send them to your lead costumer, what is their address?”

“You’ve done so much for us, let us treat you for lunch” was met with “Afraid I have things to do in my personal life, I have to decline”

Every reply given to them was quick and rehearsed sounding and frankly, it was starting to bug Vil to no end; there had to be an easier way to track this mysterious designer and singer down and bring him into Pomefiore. He did have the idea of getting Shroud for help since the only thing they’ve ever asked of Double A Costumes were just futuristic accessories – there was just the fear that Ignihyde would try to poach the mysterious boy into their ranks.

With a sigh, he leaned back on the chaise lounge looking over Magicam and social media in general, he smiled as he saw a boy with messy blond hair and glasses standing next to a few bags; the caption read ‘I should start investing in fabric’ pictures after that from Aspiring-Artist were of the boy going fabric shopping or showing different pictures in different lighting. There were a handful of videos of him trying out different artistic mediums, and there was even a short clip of him singing their song; Art of Poisoning. His eyes widened, Aspiring-Artist was their mysterious singer and designer! He just needed the name of the store he frequented and he would be snatching him up with no problems.

*****

_“Hey Azul! Check out Wonderland Songs!”_

Those fateful words were how he got into this mess; Azul decided to humor Floyd’s request and watch the video he was given, it was another cover video, he’s seen enough of them to have started a ‘Cover Bingo’ game among social media. It was a good giveaway idea; print the sheet out, get five in a row, and win an autograph picture. Everyone won; Octavinelle didn’t lose anything and fans got to have bragging rights. He was about to get another sheet started up when he played the video; to his surprise, what he got instead was something of rare quality. Phantom was being performed and the teal suit he was wearing and twirling his cane, the cunning and sinister tone he was giving in his performance mimicked the kind he would use in his shows when he’d pull an audience member into a ‘deal’. 

Just who was this twit? Well, after digging around he found he was the mysterious designer behind Pomefiore’s costumes at the time; he immediately put in a request for Octavinelle and was accepted. In time all seven of them were on his list of clients. Now, he could have left well alone after that; but that would look bad for business, so he had the clever idea…he had watched enough of the videos to know he was usually in the forest or someplace he believed no-one would track him down. But earlier videos were sloppy; that’s what he wanted; he saw it – it was taken at the local pool during one of the slow hours; Cross Community Center’s Pool. The boy was a local, it was going to be easy to track him down and he had two amazing trackers at his side.

And track they did; Jade and Floyd had discovered every last location of his filming; they knew where to go when he announced he was going to perform the other songs. They just had to wait for Double A to slip up and they could make their move and snatch him before the others did, get him to sign with them and hit up on easy street. They would be waiting for a while since he said he was taking a break from songs and would be working on commissions; well, thankfully there was always plan B – bribe the post office to figure out who was sending the costumes to them; it took a while but it wasn’t that hard to accomplish. After all, Octavinelle had two businesses; the idol business and the underground business, just a little persistence and they got a name.

“Who wants to give Mr. Ayumu a visit today?” Azul asked.

Jade looked up at him, “Which visit would this be?”

“The idol one.” Azul assured.

Floyd stretched and yawned, “He did get Pomefiore ever more popular in the costume department, we should talk to him about that.” 

“You are such a mind-reader, Floyd.” Azul smiled. “We’ll head out as soon as possible.”

Akihiko Ayumu, quite a curious boy. Well, that just made everything the more fun in this little game.

*****

Glancing over to the clock before him; Akihiko still had an hour to get ready and head out, he would be able to finish the beading the dress he was working on before going to Yuko’s shop. He had this timed perfectly; a commission would be done before his coffee date, he would be back in time for dinner with just him and his mother, everything was falling into place perfectly, just the way he liked it. Scarabia’s songs were playing in the background as he worked, a few times he would sing along to the song that was currently being heard from his phone and even dance in place. With the final bead in place, he got to work in cleaning up his work space; the pins were back in their case, the needle and thread were put away and any scrap fabric was thrown into a bag to be donated for fiber recycling, with all said and done he was able to have time to get dressed and meet up with his mysterious Soul Calibur partner. Curious person, but…they were meeting in a public place so there should be no reason to be so nervous.

**Knock. Knock. Knock**

Strange. He wasn’t really expecting anyone to be visiting him today, raising an eyebrow he made his way to the door and opened it. Time had stopped; Akihiko was staring at the Octavinelle Trio – Azul Ashengrotto and the Leech Twins. What the hell were they doing here? There was no way they knew who the hell he was, he covered his tracks to keep people from finding out about him! No, he couldn’t panic, he had to play this cool and try not to pass out from the shock of having Octavinelle themselves standing on his doorstep.

“Gentlemen.” Akihiko greeted. “Can I help you?”

Azul smiled and pushed the door open further with his cane. “You could let us in so we can discuss business.”

“Business?” Akihiko repeated as he watched the trio invite themselves in. “I’m not sure what business you have with a high schooler.”

“Please, you’re no younger than us.” Azul assured. “You’re what? Sixteen at least?”

Akihiko looked away and huffed, “I’m seventeen actually, for your information.”

“See? We’re the same age!” Azul wrapped an arm around him, “Well, actually we’re a year older than you, but all the same; after all, you’re a big-name fashion designer that has taken the idol world by storm.”

Frozen. Akihiko couldn’t move and couldn’t speak. The trio took this chance to pounce with Floyd leading the way and placing his elbow on the boy’s freed shoulder and grinned down at him.

“Yes, we know who are Double A.” Floyd grinned when the boy tensed even more. “Here’s a tip for your past self; make sure your community pool’s logo isn’t in the same shot; it took a lot of mapping to figure out where you lived and who you were; your name kind of helped too, Akihiko Ayumu~”

He pulled from the two and faced them, crossing his arms and keeping his head held high; “If this is your way of forcing me to be your personal designer, the door is right there.” He pointed. “See yourselves out.”

“Oh no, no, no.” Jade chuckled. “As Azul said, we’re here to talk business with you.” He stood beside him. “You see, you have talent…in both voice and design, we want to bring that out and have you as one of us! No more Octavinelle Trio, now we’ll be the Octavinelle Quartet; it has a nice ring to it wouldn’t you agree?”

“I believe I mentioned I was still in school?” Akihiko brought up.

“Then we enroll you into an online school, maybe hire a personal tutor for when we go on tour.” He took out a card and held it to him. “At least give it some thought; Oceanic Records will always be opened to you.”

He took the card and pocketed it. “You’re wasting your breath, I’m not really Idol material.” He adjusted his frames. “I’ll still design for you and the other groups, but that’s it.”

“Of course, we’ll let you go for now.” Azul turned to the door. “Let’s go boys, we have some new songs to go through.”

They weren’t worried; they’ve played this game before and knew how it was going to work. Akihiko was going to be weighing the pros and cons of their offer, see that they had a point in ensuring that his education wouldn’t be hindered, that he would be paid a handsome amount for his performance, and will say the favored words ‘I can try one show with you to see how it goes’ and then when he’s pumped with adrenaline he was going to agree wholeheartedly that he wants in for good. It’s how they got started and look where they were now; sitting pretty in the top 10 spot and forever duking it out with the other six groups – okay, technically with nine others, but they could care less about those other three bottom feeders. For now, they would be patient and let this little guppy swim towards them on his own.

All Akihiko could do was just stared into space; just how in the hell did everything come down to this? Where did he go wrong in keeping his idol life hidden in the shadows? He would have to fret about it when he got home, right now…he had to meet up with his sparring partner.


	2. Heartslabyul: Addict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guest Staring: Azul Ashengrotto and Akihiko Ayumu 
> 
> Song: Addict - Hazbin Hotel
> 
> [hey look! the first musical chapter of this mess!]

If one were to tell Akihiko that he would be scouted out by the Great Seven, he would actually call you crazy. In his mind, he was still half-convinced that he was in some twilight zone episode and that this wasn’t really happening; but it was, and he was in the middle of the cafeteria with Diasomnia’s lead singer – Malleus Draconia, and doing It’s a Dangerous Game by them. He wasn’t certain what it was, but time seemed to have stop the moment Silver started playing the song on the piano (most likely rolled it out of the choir room) and at the moment when he started the whispers began with the typical ‘Akihiko is so lucky’ lines, and then some, but the moment Malleus took his hand and pulled him close was when the world just went mute. He remembers the stories of when they used to do duets with the audience that everything halted when one of the Diasomnia boys would call you up and perform with them; he had always believed that to just be a fan’s fantasy, but here he was living the reality of it. While he may be graceful on his onw, he actually was struggling to keep up with the lead singer – Malleus did find this amusing though and amped the ‘Hyde’ game up taking control for both of them; pulling him close and moving him like he was just a doll. Akihiko’s heart had stopped that day.

And that was all from school; sometime afterwards while he was in town, a limo pulled up and Rook came sauntering over to drag him in. It’s been a weird week, he won’t lie; first Octavinelle invited themselves over with an offer, then he met a pen-pal who ended up to be Riddle of Heartslabyul, and now today he’s been with Pomefiore and Diasomnia. Everything had led to one thing and another from just casual meetups to someone coming up and pulling him into a cover under the guise of ‘We’re trying something new’. It’s what led to the now, Akihiko was sitting among the Great Seven in a private booth; along with dinner, a contract sat in front of him. Everything was laid out; they were willing to join as one huge unit just so no-one was trying to poach the young A.A. from the other group and start a domino effect. Everything they had offered to him were lined out in the clear and not a single detail was missing on the contract before him; the rational side of him wanted to turn them down and just be on his way, but…he still ended up picking up that pen and signing his name on the dotted line. The deal was sealed and they were on the next topic; discussing how they should introduce the notion to their fans.

Akihiko just listened as he enjoyed the dinner that was served; it was actually interesting to see the business side of things and he made some mental notes on what was being said as ideas from a group music video to just teasing everyone by starting with one group and gradually adding the other idol groups into the fold – that one seemed to be the popular agreement of it all. All eyes were on Akihiko now; aside from costumes being made for the first show, they needed to get him onto the stage.

Trey was playing with a spoon; “Heartslabyul does have a new song.” He started. “This could be a great way to debut it, do we have anyone willing to join as our plus one?”

“We know Akihiko is going to join.” Azul took a drink of his coffee. “I may as well, what’s the song?”

“It’s called Addict.” Trey took a sheet of paper out from his bag and handed it to Azul. “The lyrics…and the plans.”

Azul scanned the contents and nodded; it sounded like a lively song, and the plans were something else – heck one of them had him grinning with delight; he could see some of them doing this but what he couldn’t see is their newest member. This would take a lot of upper-body strength to pull off; he knew Ace, Cater, Deuce, and Trey had the build for it, Riddle wouldn’t be caught dead doing this, 

“Akihiko, how would you rate your upper-body strength?” Azul asked.

He looked up from his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I would say average, why?”

“No reason.” He said. “Can you climb things? Trees, rock wall, poles, ropes?”

“I can do rock walls, yeah…what does that have to do with anything?”

“Don’t worry about it, just let me handle it.”

That was ominous as hell. Akihiko just nodded and set his empty plate aside; “Okay? So…what’s the plan?”

“You’re going to be joining Azul, and my group in this collab. I trust you have a Heartslabyul costume at the ready for this.”

And the dominos fell in place again; everyday after school since, Akihiko would meet with Heartslabyul at their place to work on his daily assignment before he would be learning the dance that he, Riddle, and Azul would be doing. It was a mix of sensual, lively, and techno. His body would bend and move in ways he hadn’t imagined, and Azul was really helpful in making sure he wasn’t hurting himself on some of the more contortion style dance; when that wasn’t happening, he and Riddle would hand Akihiko to the other and the duo would dance while the other did a solo. As for the rest of the Heartslabyul boys, they were doing their own numbers and working on the song from the shadows, they made sure to keep their A.A. in the dark the whole time with the exception of asking for costumes.

The costumes were another thing; they were form-fitting on the top, red vests over white crop-tops, and red pants with white heeled boots. The vests were bedazzled to hell and back that spelled out each member’s name as well as a dew-dropped rose on the bottom. Azul’s costume was a rendition of what he would wear with Octavinelle, a crimson mafia appearance with sharp gold lining and a rose in his hat, and Riddle of course wore his signature King of Hearts attire. All that was left was Akihiko’s costume, they knew he was preparing it since a few times they would see him strut in new heels and tights to go with. No-one was a stranger to how his costumes looked in his music videos so they knew he was going to go over the top with the theming and day by day, they would see him trying new things to complete the costume; his blond hair was dyed red and he would work curls into it, a lesser crown graced his head, gloves, heels, he was looking fabulous each day.

It wasn’t until concert day that they would perform. Riddle had sent word that Heartslabyul was putting on a special performance and tickets were selling like hotcakes! The stadium was filled to the brim with audience members who decided to come hours early to get a good spot, even as some stagehands were setting everything up; while things were lively already out in the audience, things backstage were something else as Akihiko was looking himself in the mirror before him – he made the costume himself and it turned out well, it fit everything he wanted, but he felt sick to his stomach. Nerves was getting to him and he couldn’t even force himself to sit down for makeup. He did his red dye job without problems and even redid the curls but aside from that he was certain he was going to pass out where he stood.

“Graham cracker for your thoughts.” Came Ace’s voice.

Akihiko looked at Ace, he was holding a box of crackers and held one out to him, taking it into his gloved hand he let out a sigh and nodded. “I don’t think I can do this; you guys look so amazing in your subtle costumes and me I…I feel like I’m going to upstage your leader.”

Ace looked at the costume; it was a red short dress with a small white center with golden cross threads and a similar gold designs along the bottom of the dress. It was accompanied with a white jacket with puffy sleeves and broad shoulders with golden frills. Attached to the jacket is a stunning red and golden cape, with a similar bowtie to complete the royal regalia.

“Yeah the fans might think you and Riddle are an item when they see that.” Ace agreed. “But hey, doesn’t every king need a queen by his side?” he watched as Akihiko tensed up and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, let me tell you when I started out; I threw up before curtain call…I’ve only had water and it came out.”

“So how did you get past this?”

“Well, Trey told me to just imagine you’re this divine royalty – a prince, gracing your subjects with your presence. Own the stage and stadium like it was your kingdom.” He nudged him. “You’re the ‘queen’ with that costume, so show the lovely fans the queen is here to rule beside the King.”

With a small nod, Akihiko ate the cracker and made his way to makeup to get his look completed. And just in the nick of time, he was called to the stage with the rest of Heartslabyul and with Azul Ashengrotto. Riddle walked up and adjusted the bowtie a little to straighten it out, he leaned close and told him he was going to do fine out there. They spent weeks on the dance and the song after all, everything was going to run smooth.

The stage was dark when they took their places, the light shone down on Akihiko as a techno opening started, he took a breath of air and looked at the audience with a look that a queen would when looking down at her subjects. 

**“Til death do us part**   
**But we're already past that phase**   
**This is a brand-new start**   
**And I think I deserve some praise”**

**For the way that I am**   
**Despite having overdosed**   
**And ending up comatose**

**I don't give a damn**  
 **I've let my emotions go**  
 **Fuck being a sober hoe”**  
  
Akihiko took some steps and flared out his hair, dipping his body down and holding his heart and giving a brief look of pain before it turned into one of attitude, he turned his body and held his arms out to the side as he took steps back to where he started; that was when the lights shone on Azul and Riddle who took him by the arms and pushed him forward before pulling him back to them.

**“This is the mantra, this is my life you're playing with now til the end of the night**   
**Surrounded by fire the passion ignites, a hit of that heaven and hell, a helluva high”**

That was when the two joined in on the chorus and taking their rounds with Akihiko; Azul pulled him close and gave a ‘harsh’ twirl, almost as if he owned the queen whereas Riddle would bring him close and embrace him, welcoming him into his arms – yet the crazed look in his eyes was him mostly saying he was welcoming Akihiko to the madness he was about to bring to the world.

**“I'm addicted to the madness**   
**This hotel is my Atlantis**   
**We're forever gonna have a fucking reason to sin**   
**Let me leave my soul to burn and I'll be breathing it in**

**I'm addicted to the feeling**   
**Getting higher than the ceiling**   
**And we're never gonna want this fucking feeling to end**   
**Just concede and give in to your inner demons again”**

The three would step back and let the four ‘cards’ take to the stage. Earlier before they were each on a pole and providing a sensual background dance which brought the cheers from the crowd, even when Trey and Cater would flash their signature grin to them. Ace and Deuce took to the stage and would do a mirror style dance where they would copy the other; emotions, dance, singing in harmony.

**“Yeah you fell in love**   
**But you fell deeper in this pit**   
**While death rains from above**   
**So count your blessings cause this is it**

**You're not letting it go**   
**So what if I misbehave**   
**It's what everybody craves”**

Trey and Cater were right behind and did a similar act, unlike the complete mirror, they had their own passion to it; letting the two know that they were welcoming them to a sinful delight, they were the temptress of the night and Ace and Deuce were the ones ready to join the madness and the feeling it came with.

**“You already know**   
**So come if you're feeling brave**   
**And fancy yourself a mate**

**You want it, I got it, see what you like? We could have it all by the end of the night**   
**Your money and power, my sinful delight, a hit of that heaven and hell, a helluva high”**

The four joined and combined their numbers into one unified number. They would bring their dances to more of the free feeling and to let the demons out, free from the chains of normalcy, they wanted more and were taking in more of the madness and the freedom it brought.

**“I'm addicted to the madness**   
**This hotel is my Atlantis**   
**We're forever gonna have a fucking reason to sin**   
**Let me leave my soul to burn and I'll be breathing it in**

**I'm addicted to the feeling**   
**Getting higher than the ceiling**   
**And we're never gonna want this fucking feeling to end**   
**Just concede and give in to your inner demons again”**

Like when the ‘Cards’ were on the poles during Azul’s, Riddle’s and Akihiko’s part; the trio were now behind on the poles while the four were on the stage performing their section of the song. They had their unique vibe to it; Riddle was more controlled, Azul was freer, and Akihiko was more of the shy one trying to branch out – a little natural charm that found its way to work.

**“Just concede and give in to your inner demons again”**

As Riddle uttered those lines all seven took to the stage and did the group finale; combining everything into one, it found its way to work – chaotic yet organized. 

**“I'm addicted to the feeling**   
**Getting higher than the ceiling**   
**And we're never gonna want this fucking feeling to end**   
**Just concede and give in to your inner demons again”**

*****

“I can’t believe I was on a pole.” Akihiko groaned.

“I can’t believe you boys kidnapped someone to be your new member!” A voice scolded the group.

It was someone Akihiko wasn’t expecting to run into; Yuu M.C. he was not only the manager of each of the ‘Great Seven’ but…he was also Akihiko’s cousin. They had exchanged emails catching up with one another and Akihiko knew that Yuu was a manager to some group, he just wasn’t expecting to know it was for the Great Seven. In all honesty, he was glad that Riddle and Azul just announced him as A.A. and that Yuu hadn’t recognized him in the costume yet. He didn’t need that conversation to happen.

“Hey, he signed the contract willingly.” Ace yelled. “We didn’t kidnap him!”

“Oh really? Show me this contract then!”

3…2…1

“AKIHIKO!?”

Busted. This was going to be one conversation he wouldn’t be able to get out of.


	3. Chapter 3

There is always the calm before the storm. And in this case, Yuu was the storm whenever it came to the well-being of his cousin. The Ayumu family were probably the only ones that he ever got along with; it wasn’t that his family sucked, but…he just connected better with Akihiko and his family. They worked in the creative field and actually supported him in whatever endeavors came his way; into cross-dressing? They would buy a blouse in his size or handmake one. Want to work in the Idol industry? Well…that one was hard but they encouraged him and here he was as the Great Seven’s Manager. Coming out as Gay? Support and he had better introduce his boyfriend to them. The Ayumu Family essentially adopted him since then, and because of that, he was pretty protective of Akihiko.

Which brought him to the now, his own brother had signed a deal with the Great Seven and agreed to be a part of their group! While this wasn’t anything major at first glance, he knew his cousin had wanted to start out on stage some day in the distance future, he wasn’t expecting Akihiko to agree to being in the idol scene – hell, he wasn’t expecting to have his cousin’s first number end with him on a pole! No, this wasn’t anything major on the surface, but deep down? He was already in protective older brother mode and someone was going to feel his wrath before the night was over. 

“Alright, let’s get this over with; who was the genius that put my cousin on a pole?” 

Cousin!? The dressing room went dead quiet, Yuu had mentioned his family in the past; they knew his aunt worked in the floral industry – it was how they always received good luck flowers the night before their shows, his uncle worked in making ball-jointed dolls and…his cousin. A cousin who was always thinking up creative ideas for costumes but…they just assumed those costumes were for the dolls and not for the idol industry! Well, everything made sense now…and now they had to deal with a pissed off manager. 

“Trey it was your idea! You wrote on the planner that there should be poles for this number!” Ace cried.

Oh no. He was not going to be sacrificed like this! “Yes, but I put a question mark at the end because I had my doubts that everyone would be okay with it! Azul’s the one who was questioning if Akihiko could climb on a pole!”

Azul narrowed his eyes; so that’s the game being played? “I did ask if Akihiko had the upper-body strength and if he’s ever climbed things like tress, rock walls, ropes, and the like and he confirmed he’s done rock walls in the past. This does not mean I got him to pole dance.”

“Oh enough, all of you!” Riddle scolded. “Throwing each other under the bus isn’t going to do anyone any good; while yes, Trey did write the plan and Azul did question Akihiko’s ability to climb, in the end it all came down to the choice of one person.” He looked to their newest member. “Akihiko, did you or did you not agree to the idea?”

Akihiko looked up at Riddle and nodded; “I did, Azul said he would take me to the lounge every day after school to learn the dance for the number…well actually it was Jade and Floyd who were teaching me and Azul was there to correct my posture and straighten me up every time I mess up.”

Yuu turned to Azul, “So, in the end it was Octavinelle’s doing.” He crossed his arms. “You have five minutes to explain yourself, Azul.”

“First of all; it was entirely consensual, I never forced him onto the pole or to take those dance lessons.” Azul calmly explained. “I can have the twins pull up security footage from the lounge if you doubt my words. Second of all; you don’t scare me, Yuu, don’t ever forget what I’m capable of.” 

“I know damn well what you’re capable of, Ashengrotto, and you know what I’m capable of as your manager.”

The two stared each other down for a while before they parted away from each other as Deuce spoke up saying that it’s been a long night for everyone. It was agreed that it was probably best to just end the night as is and part for the time being; Yuu had taken the liberty of taking his cousin home, the idols would be returning home via Yuu’s boyfriend’s car (It took a lot of convincing on his end). The ride home was in silence mostly with only the radio playing the Top 40’s, usually in cases like this the two only used the radio to communicate with each other in moments like this. If either of the two were upset he would switch the channel to some metal station, or he would hook his playlist up and find the song that fit the current situation and the other would reply with a song of their choosing.

It was a weird system but it worked; and with the Top 40’s going, they were just on neutral grounds. This station was the default, the way that it would play whatever was the top hit from the groups out there; it was their little celebration that Yuu’s hard work as a manager has paid off, as well as the hard work groups like Diasomnia put into their songs. The station stayed playing as they pulled up to the small house that was the Ayumu residence, Yuu turned the radio off and looked at Akihiko before taking his hand into his. He didn’t really approve of his cousin getting mixed up with Azul Ashengrotto, but it was still his choice and he was going to support and help him out where he could. Akihiko’s smile of assurance was all he needed, his school work wouldn’t be affected and the group made sure to leave his name as a mystery – even going as far as to changing a letter in his name to draw people away. Everything was going to be fine in the end, he could just tell. With a light smile, the two just hugged an wished each other a good-night before they parted ways. Once Akihiko was inside his house, Yuu drove off to the apartment he and his boyfriend shared; sure enough his lavender-haired lover was laying on the couch tired out, he knew that pain oh so well – he’s been on that end whenever he drove the boys home for the night after a concert. 

“How the hell do you put up with them?” he asked.

Yuu chuckled and sat on the chair next to the couch. “Magic, Joey.” He said simply. “The spell is very easy, it’s called earplugs.”

Joe cracked open his eyes and looked at Yuu with a smirk before throwing a pillow at him. “How are things with your cousin? I mean…he no doubt made a deal with Azul.”

“He made a deal with all seven of them, Azul just wrote the contract.” Yuu groaned as he leaned back. “They found out Aki’s the one who has been making their costumes and doing those covers that now…instead of seven separate groups they’re going to join as one.”

“Business wise; that’s actually a good idea.” Joe nodded. “Moral wise; that’s a horrible idea and your cousin’s going to be eaten alive.”

Fair point, one that Yuu couldn’t argue with. Both boyfriends have worked with the ‘Great Seven’ to have seen their good and bad side; it was as the song goes “so many ways to be wicked” and they did have _that_ side after all. Granted there were some rumors of the members dabbling in some dark arts but, they were just that. Rumors. Nothing more and nothing less – most likely conspiracy boards were saying that because of their beauty and charm. On a more serious note however, Yuu still agreed with Joe, Akihiko was going to need all the help he can get when it comes to these boys.

The rest of the night was still and come morning everyone would be going back to their daily routines; school if anyone had classes, practices if there were any, everything mundane was happening. Which was fine, sometimes one needed the quiet after showtime. Local stations were playing last night’s concert and there were some talk-show hosts that would talk about how a member of Octavinelle was with Heartslabyul and then there was the new member of the group and sparking conspiracies; neither of the two idol groups had said anything, well, no, that was a lie. They did say something about the new boy saying that fans would be seeing him more and more from here on out and that showtimes were going to be extra special from here on out. The community blew up after that.

As of what’s happening now, a few days after the event; Akihiko was out in town; his blond hair longer thanks to extensions, a light purple dress with green flames, and sandals. This was just something he did; he enjoyed cross-dressing, there was something about dresses and skirts that were just free moving and the aesthetic of a beautiful blouse just won him over. At first glance one wouldn’t think he was a guy wearing women’s clothing; and he actually thanked his slim build because of that, he found it made things easier for himself and it was easier to sew in a skirt (there was no science behind it, he really had no justification when it came to sewing and being in feminine clothing). Yes, whenever it was a wonderful afternoon like this and nothing was going on, he just got dressed up and head to town to do some shopping; it’s been a good day so far that he decided to celebrate with a skillet dish. There was an extra pep in his step as he made his way home with high spirits.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Came a smooth voice.

And there went the high spirits. Parked beside him was a familiar black limo with a purple seashell on the doors; Octavinelle’s ride and Jade was calling him.

Akihiko let a soft sigh and turned to him; “Yes, Mr. Leech?”

Jade smiled at ‘her’, “Are you heading to Tsurumi Boulevard?”

“Yeah, that’s where I live.” 

“We’re heading there to see a friend of ours, if you want, we can drop you off?”

Oh no, there was no way Akihiko was getting into the same car as those three! It would only end up backfiring into his face and he would be roped into some strange scheme or another! Despite his protests, the trio still followed him…by driving alongside him. This was going to be one of those days wasn’t it? With a sigh, he just continued walking to his house, at least the skillet dish was going to be delicious and worth it at the end of everything

Upon arrival, the three boys looked at each other in confusion; they did their extensive research on their newest member and no mentions of a sister ever came up in conversations with him or through their shady means of research. They got out and followed the strange girl into the house, perhaps she was just a cousin – different side of the family than Yuu’s. Azul, Jade, and Floyd stayed silent and just watched as she was moving around the kitchen grabbing what she needed to cook whatever dish she had in mind; it got to the point she stopped and turned to face them with an annoyed glare.

“What do you three want?” she demanded.

Azul was the one who spoke first, “We want to know when Akihiko will be home, we have some things to discuss with him.”

She sighed and moved from the stove, she reached behind her hand and removed the extensions; short haired that she would mess up in place and taking out a contact case from the clutch purse that laid innocently on the table. Gone were the contacts, the moment she put the glasses on and looked at them with a tired expression did things started to fall into place.

“A-Akihiko!?” They yelled in surprise.

“Yeah, it’s me, and yes, I am in a dress.” He sat down and sighed. “If this is going to be a problem, the door is right where you came from.”

“Aww~” Floyd hugged him, petting his golden locks. “Rainbow fish, we’ve seen you in your Heartslabyul dress! We could never have a problem with you dressing up every day for us!”

“Excuse me? I don’t believe I do this for you.” Akihiko tried to get out of his arms. “Floyd, put me down.”

“Nope” he kept him close. “Now that we know Rainbow Fish dresses cute daily it’ll be easier to dress him up more for shows and…other events.”

“Define other events.”

Azul chuckled, “Well, I and Heartslabyul have been invited for an evening interview about our performance, I assured Riddle I would talk to you about joining us since no doubt people will be asking about you.” 

Akihiko finally got out of Floyd’s grasps, ignoring the whine the other was giving. “That was not part of the deal; the deal was that I remained anonymous while on stage with you guys.”

“And we’ve upheld our deal.” Jade said. “However, times are changing and the fans are growing restless; this will at least settle them down to some degree.”

“Absolutely not! That’s breaching the contract!”

“Is it?” Azul smirked. “Even if we introduce you by a different name?” he held his hand up. “Think about it, you undergo a name change; while with us you will be someone new, and outside the glitz and glam you’ll return to life as Akihiko Ayumu. We’re still following the contract keeping the real you anonymous just as you requested.” He extended his hand out to him. “Do we have a deal, Akihiko?”

*****

“Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming here; Yuu, Joe, it’s great to see the managers doing well.” 

“Thank you for having us, Mr. Shoji.” Joe smiled. “We would have waited a bit while the boys got their newest member adjusted but…well you know how impatient Azul gets.”

Tonight, was the night; live for everyone to see and learn about the reason for the sudden collab and to learn about the newest member of the group. It was true that they wanted to wait until they had more shows that slowly mixed groups together, but with the explosion of fan theories and how difficult it was to control everything, they had to push that plan ahead and get it out of the way. With makeup, and hair dye done; Akihiko was back into his costume as he sat with the leads for each group; Riddle, Azul, Malleus, Idia, Leona, Kalim, and Vil. They would be with their managers telling about their grand plan and to showcase the newest member that brought the family together (At least that’s what Ruggie had been calling the situation)

“And speaking of the boys.” Shoji grinned, “Are they with us tonight?”

Yuu chuckled. “Always are, you can’t really escape them.” He laughed as the eight came out. “And here they have a new victim in their claws.” 

Azul huffed and pouted; “Now Yuu, that’s not nice, we wouldn’t do anything to Tetsu-kun without his consent.”

Tetsu Katsuragi. That was his name among the boys now; it was an okay name and he was surprised that they had everything readied before he even got out of the limo. Akihiko had to admire Azul’s questionable techniques and methods of getting a job done, yet he also feared it – it was probably due to said questionable methods is why he was in this situation to begin with. 

Smiling, ‘Tetsu’ looked up at Shoji; “I can assure you, the only bad thing he’s done was teach me how to pole dance.” 

Laughter broke out and the hard part came the questions; who Tetsu was, what drew him to the boys, how did he get into the business. All answers were rehearsed on the way here; he was just a musical lover, he was at one of the blind date cafes (the ones where your dining buddy was obscured from view by a divider and you wouldn’t know who it was until you both agreed you wanted to see the other)…he ended up with Riddle and the two just became friends. He got into the industry because Riddle offered him one show, if he liked it, he could continue, if not then they would just stay as friends in their normal life.

“Now that you’ve had your one show, are the fans going to see you on stage again?”

Akihiko nodded; “You only live once, may as well continue.” He smiled.

“And on the topic of shows; boys, everyone wants to know what your plan is since Azul joined Heartslabyul on Addict, fans have been wondering what the story behind the collab is.”

Vil was the one who spoke; “It’s actually like this; we’ve been discussing some things and while on our own, we’re seven unique groups…and we’re also easily jealous, we want that cute prince of hearts.” He grinned at Tetsu. “No-one wants to fight for custody so; we’re going to become one huge group and combine shows…and also to get at that cute little new kid.”

“Vil, stop picking on Tetsu.” Joe scolded. “But yeah, we’ve talked it over and weighed the pros and cons and joining the seven into one big group sounded like the better option…right now we’re just mixing things, see what sticks and what works.”

“Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re excited for what’s to come in the future.” Mr. Shoji said. “And we want to thank you again for showing up tonight.”


	4. Not a Chapter

Right uh...I am having fun with this; don't worry, I'm not abandoning it. However, I feel like this sucker is being rushed and...I don't like that feeling. So for now, this is on hold as I polish the hell out of this and get it back to where I want it.

I will accept any ideas on how to make this polishing process easier so let me know and with combined efforts we can get this on the right track:


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